Best Camcorders - true MPEG Movie Mode, 14 to 106 Hours Battery Life, 5 to 7 in. Depth

'You press and hold the center button to select the dial's operation: manual focus, exposure compensation, aperture or shutter, mic level and automatic gain control limit--which caps the signal boosting in low light to minimize visual noise. '

'The new touchscreen system is intuitive and good for beginners, but we did find it a bit frustrating for navigating the camcorder's long menu system.'

'the display is clear and viewable even in quite bright conditions.'

'The CX550V has a nice array of features including manual focus, aperture and shutter control, and multi-channel audio recording. '

'remarkably smooth video'

'The camcorder's large touchscreen has a relatively high resolution and is nice to work with.'

'remarkably smooth video'

'We have to note the GPS feature is very cool.'

'The icons are fairly straightforward, and simple to navigate.'

'It does stand up pretty well in direct sunlight, however.'

'Sleek aesthetic'

'audio clear and strong'

'built-in microphone'

'virtually effortless video sharing'